When talking about indoor lighting, it is about more than just choosing lamps. Both the placement of the lamps and the choice of light bulb also have a great influence on the room. You can utilize the space and improve your indoor climate by using light consciously and choosing the right light.
What is the importance of lighting?
The choice of lamps and their light is an important, but often an overlooked factor for the indoor climate. During the summer months, when we have plenty of daylight it is easy to forget to think about indoor lighting. In the winter, on the other hand, the darkness is felt to a particularly high degree, our indoor areas can often feel darkened even though we have many lamps in the room. A lamp and its light change the character of the room significantly, therefore it is important to be aware of what you want to achieve with the lighting. Many people think more about the lamp's design than the light it emits. The effect of the lamp's light is only felt when the need for the lamp's light arises, for example after dark. Both the number of lamps, their location, the choice of light bulbs and the design of the lamps themselves have an impact on how the room looks. Pay attention to the lamp's function and light - what do you want to achieve with the lamp? Where should it hang or stand? What mood should it create? The design of the lamp is important for the spread of light and thus the effect on the room.
Light, directions and design – does it matter?
Many people think first about the design of the lamp – it is rarely the light of the lamp itself that is the focus when new lamps are selected. In daylight, a lamp is a design object, just like a chair - but at night, you don't get much light from your chair, do you? Therefore, it is extremely important to choose a lamp that provides a good and functional light, depending on what the lamp will be used for and where it will be placed. The design of the lamp has an influence on how the light falls in the dark - for example, if your lamp has a light-tight screen (where no light escapes) over your dining table, the light will only fall directly onto the dining table. The ceiling will be darkened, and you have created a light room in your dining room - a light room with the focus on the dining table. If, on the other hand, you want a different scenario, where the light falls both on the dining table and on the ceiling, to get a more illuminated room, you can buy a lamp with an opening at both the top and bottom. A lamp with diffused light can also be the solution – it could be a lamp with a screen made of sandblasted glass, which will let the light shine through the screen and thereby illuminate the entire room. The lamp you choose here is important for the room and especially the design of the lamp is important. The design of the lamp directs the light in a given direction, which therefore also creates dark areas in the room.
Direct light - downward light:
If you choose a lamp with a closed lampshade where the light comes from the bottom of the lamp, you choose lighting with downward light. It can be wall lamps, floor lamps or pendants. This choice is particularly good if you want to create a cozy reading nook, bedside lighting or, a cozy atmosphere in the room. Direct light creates focus and helps to create a "room within a room". In the dark your living room can be divided into a TV room and a reading nook. The mood is not necessarily the same and the level of concentration may also be different. Feel free to combine lamps with direct light with lamps that fulfill other functions such as diffused light.
Indirect light – upward light:
If you choose a lamp with a closed frame made of, for example, metal, where the light comes from the top of the lamp, you choose lighting with upward-directed light. It can be wall lamps, floor lamps, upward spotlights, or pendants. A lamp with this characteristic is particularly good for supplementing the other room lighting or as effect lighting. As the lamp gives light upwards, which is highly likely to illuminate the ceiling, a good basic lighting is created which can even out the light difference on your other lamps. In general, it is a good idea to use different lamps that fulfill different functions.
Concentrated light – directed light:
Concentrated light is light with a specific direction, a direction that can usually be adjusted. It could, for example, be spots or simply lamps with a narrow opaque screen so that the cone of light is more focused. A lamp with concentrated light is perfect for the workplace/desk or home office. Such a type of lamp can also be used to create focus, illuminate details or as effect lighting. For example, it could be focused light on a painting or illumination of a tree in a park. The possibilities are many with concentrated light, it can create dramatic effects or highlight exactly what you want people to see. Again, it is a good idea to use different types of lamps with different properties, depending on the effect you want to create.
Diffused light – scattered light:
Finally, diffused light – diffused light is the general lighting in a room. This effect can be created both by using ceiling lamps, wall lamps or pendants. For example, if the lamp is made of glass, clear or sandblasted, then the light can escape through the entire lamp, which creates light in the entire room (diffused light) instead of just one direction. This type of lighting has the great advantage of being able to adjust the brightness, which generally applies to all types of lamps. With an option to adjust the brightness, i.e., how much the lamp should shine, you have the option of creating exactly the mood you want.
